January 2018

On Fox News Show, Fox and Friends, DeSantis Announced He Will Be Filing Paperwork Today to Run for Governor of Florida

Orlando, FL – Today, Ron DeSantis announced his plans to file paperwork to begin the process of running for governor of Florida. DeSantis’ entrance into the race comes on the heels of his endorsement by President Trump on Twitter and a new poll showing him leading a hypothetical primary matchup. He made the announcement on the Fox News show, Fox and Friends.

“As you remember a few weeks ago, the president tweeted support for me as a candidate for governor of Florida. So, today we’re going to be filing the paperwork to begin that effort. As a military officer, an Iraq veteran, and a proven conservative, with the support of the president, I’m in a position to exercise the leadership that can build on the great work that Governor Rick Scott has done to advance economic opportunity, reform education, and drain the swamp in Tallahassee that needs to be drained just like Washington. While this is an important step towards running for Governor, an official campaign kick-off ill take place later this month.”

Background: Ron DeSantis is a Navy reservist, Iraq veteran, and former prosecutor from Palm Coast, FL. He was elected to Congress in 2012 where he immediately fought to roll back a congressional pay raise, rejected his congressional pension, and declined the congressional healthcare package because he believes that members of Congress should have to live under the same laws as everyone else. He’s also been a leading Conservative voice supporting President Trump’s work to drain the swamp as well as issues such as the IRS email scandal, the Hillary Clinton email scandal, and the Fusion GPS Dossier scandal.

“Let us start with some new numbers that give a glimpse into the not-yet-finalized Republican field for governor.

Jeff Roe, founder of Remington Research Group and a top adviser for Ted Cruz’s failed presidential bid, is out with a new poll showing Rep. Ron DeSantis with a slight lead more than 10 months before election day. DeSantis is not yet officially in the race, but is widely expected to decide shortly.

The automated “robopoll,” which had a sample of 1,423 likely GOP voters, had DeSantis with 28 percent, ahead of state Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam (25 percent), and state House Speaker Richard Corcoran (3 percent). Corcoran is not yet in the race, but expected to announce after the 2018 legislative session. The poll does not include former state Sen. Jack Latvala, who recently resigned after two sexual harassment investigations but officially remains in the governor’s race.

The new numbers also give some insight into why President Donald Trump’s support and endorsement is so coveted despite low national poll numbers. Trump, who has given public support to DeSantis, is viewed favorably by 84 percent of Republican primary voters.

“Additionally, a plurality of voters, 36 percent, claimed to be a “Trump Republican” when asked what type of Republican they considered themselves to be,” read a narrative accompanying the numbers. “This data could provide a glimpse as to how impactful an endorsement from Trump could be in the primary election.”

The poll was not funded by any campaign or committee directly aligned with the governor’s race. Roe is also not working for any of the campaigns.”

December 2017

RonDeSantisTalksTrumpTweetOnFoxandFriendsDeSantis
Told FoxandFriends Hosts They Would Have to “Stay Tuned”

Today, RonDeSantis appeared on the Fox News show, FoxandFriends, to discuss the FBI’s inability to verify the Fusion GPS dossier. Towards the end of the interview, he was asked about Donald Trump’s tweet encouraging him to run for Governor of Florida.

Pete Hegseth: Congressman, a tweet went out on Friday, I’m not sure if you saw it, it said “Congressman RonDeSantis is a brilliant young leader, Yale and then Harvard Law, who would make a great Governor of Florida. He loves our country and is a true fighter.” Now previous to that, you had spent a lot of time with the President. A lot of reports that you want to run for Governor of Florida. Why don’t you break some news for us here.

RonDeSantis: I can tell you that when that tweet went out, the amount of buzzing on my phone from calls and texts, I thought the phone was malfunctioning or there was something going on. When he tweets and he has 100 million people that are seeing that, it’s a really really big deal, so I really appreciate the kind words from the President.

He loves Florida, he’s been good for Florida, and I anticipate he’ll continue to do that. We’ll definitely come back on your show in the new year and be happy to break some news then.

Lisa Boothe: I guess we’ll have to wait then.

Leland Vittert: I gotta think about this. If you’re promising to break news, it’s almost as if you’re breaking some.

Lisa Both: Yeah, Leland’s on to something here.

Leland Vittert: This is the non-denial, denial. Sort of the non-acceptance, acceptance.

In response, Congressman Ron DeSantis released the following statement: “I’m grateful to have the President’s support and appreciate what he has done — from appointing great judges to recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital to signing a pro-growth tax cut — to get our country back on track. As an Iraq veteran, I’m especially appreciative of his efforts to support our military and our veterans. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!”